the hinata inn memories
by Mrpain
Summary: my 2nd fic, Shinobou x Kaolla su. not hard core, plz R&R.
1. memories part 1

The Hinata inn: Memories  
  
"Naaaruuuuuuuuuu!"  
Naru pouted a bit at hearing her name called. Since she  
didn't want to leave yet, she pretended not to hear and instead  
turned her head back to the building looming in front of her. It  
looked like no one had lived there in a long time.. it had a  
dark, abandoned look, really, but somehow it was still...  
inviting. As if it were haunted, but by kind ghosts that wished  
to tell her their stories.  
"Naru! There you are!"  
She jumped a bit, short blue hair swishing around her  
face as she whirled around guiltily. Her mother walked over,  
setting her hands on her hips and looking down at Naru with an  
expression that attempted to be stern and didn't quite make it.  
"Naru, you heard me calling you," Shinobu Maehara  
scolded, shaking her head slightly. Still petite and small as she  
had always been, Shinobu had still obviously grown up, holding  
herself with a confidence and an unshakable air of "I'm  
somebody's mother" that lent some weight to her unending  
cuteness.  
"Sorry, momma," little Naru Maehara pouted. She'd  
inherited much of that same cuteness, but also some awareness of  
it, and thus knew what she was doing when she turned wide,  
pitiful-looking eyes on her mother.  
Sighing, Shinobu wilted under her daughter's assault of  
kawaii and bent down, gathering the five-year-old up in her arms  
and hefting her with a small whuff. "You're getting big,  
Naru-chan."  
Giggling softly at the perceived compliment, Naru put her  
arms around her mother's neck, snuggling in. After a moment,  
though, she leaned back and pointed towards the building. "Momma,  
is that it?!"  
"Hm? Oh, yes, dear." Shinobu hefted her daughter up a bit  
to get a more secure hold, letting Naru sit on one forearm.  
"That's Hinata Inn."  
"Same one you always tell stories 'bout?" Naru continued,  
staring at the old hotel as if entranced.  
"The same one, hai."  
"How come no one lives there now?"  
"They all grew up and went away, Naru-chan. It's sad,  
sometimes, but it's the way of things." Shinobu turned her own  
head to look at the inn, where she'd spent some of the happiest,  
if strangest, years of her childhood. "But I think everyone who  
lived there had their lives changed, and for the better, too."  
"Momma, how come you left? When was the last time you saw  
everyone you tell stories about?"  
"Saw them all in one place?" Shinobu smiled. "Well,  
there's a story that answers both of those questions."  
"Oooo! Story!" Naru's eyes lit up in delight, before she  
remembered to turn on a plaintive look. "Tell me the story,  
mama?"  
Shinobu giggled, bouncing her daughter a bit in her arms.  
"Alright... I'll tell you the story. It was almost fifteen years  
ago, and everyone was getting ready for a big ceremony..."  
  
Naru Narusegawa stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes  
alight, her stomach turning flipflops (though that might have  
been something else). She turned from side to side slightly,  
watching the way the long white dress moved around her legs, then  
ran her hands along the white satin hugging her stomach and  
sides.  
"Would you hold still?" Mitsune Konno grumbled around a  
mouthful of pins, struggling to make last-minute adjustments to  
her best friend's wedding dress.  
"You strain even my skill and aim," Motoko Aoyama added  
with a similar speech impediment, working around the back of  
Naru's dress. "Please contain your excitement,  
Narusegawa-senpai."  
"I'm sorry, it's just..." Naru tilted her head up, her  
smile practically setting the room alight. "It's just that this  
is the most special day of my life!"  
"It's a good thing you picked now for the most special  
day of your life," Kitsune murmured from where she worked at the  
waistline of Naru's dress. "If you'd waited until next month,  
they'd've had to let out the stomach on the dress. Again."  
"S-shut up!" Naru yelped, her cheeks and the bridge of  
her nose coloring.  
Motoko merely sighed. She'd promised she wouldn't say  
anything. She'd PROMISED...  
Kitsune stood and shook her head, putting two fingers on  
either side of the needles poking out between her lips before  
releasing them. She smiled that enigmatic smile that made  
everyone think she was constantly up to something. "How's  
everything fit now?"  
"Just great!" Naru's embarrassment and anger fled as fast  
as it had never been, and her sunny smile returned.  
"You look radiant, Narusegawa-senpai," Motoko sighed, the  
normally cool kendoist allowing herself a small smile.  
"Yeah... totally beautiful," Kitsune added, smile turning  
almost... longing. After a moment, she glanced at Motoko. "Could  
you give us a few minutes alone, please?"  
"Of course. I have to go get ready myself." Motoko smiled  
once more at Naru, then turned and left the room, sliding the  
door closed behind her.  
"You really do look great," Mitsune whispered as Naru  
stepped off the small stand she'd been up on to make it easier to  
do the alterations. "I never really expected this day to come,  
y'know."  
"That's so rude!" Naru replied good-naturedly, sticking  
her tongue out. That set both of them to laughing, and the slight  
melancholy that had building was razed away like water droplets  
on grass kissed by the sun.  
"I'm jealous," Kitsune confided when the laughing had  
trailed off. She didn't clarify exactly what she was jealous  
of... there were a lot of options.  
"Kitsune," Naru whispered, smiling at her friend,  
stepping forward to hug her tightly.  
Mitsune couldn't help but be overly careful in hugging  
Naru back, despite not wanting to be so silly. "Naru-chan... one  
last kiss?"  
"... Of course," Naru answered quietly, blushing softly  
again, tilting her head up a bit.  
Slowly, wanting to let this kiss imprint itself in her  
memory, Kitsune leaned her head in, pressing her lips gently to  
Naru's. For just the length of the kiss, she let herself dwell on  
what she was losing, and had lost ever since Keitaro Urushima had  
come into their lives: Naru's constant companionship, Naru's  
confiding in her every little problem and fear, Naru's passionate  
embrace and sensual touch. These things she would never have  
again... but always, always, the memory of them, and of this  
kiss, a kiss from Naru on her wedding day, in her wedding  
dress... a kiss just for her.  
"Careful there, Kitsune," came a low, almost drab voice  
from the doorway. "You'll make us jealous."  
Naru and Mitsune drew apart, both blushing as they turned  
to look at the speaker. Haruka Urashima was standing in the  
doorway, the attractive picture created by her elegant green  
dress and faint hint of makeup somewhat sullied by the cigarette  
hanging from her mouth. At her side was her fiance, Seta  
Noriyasu, looking rather dapper in his tuxedo, hands in his  
jacket pockets.  
"Or perhaps you'll make Urushima-san jealous," Seta  
added, grinning and adjusting his glasses.  
"I can kiss the bride if I want," Kitsune contended with  
a grin of her own, walking over to stand between her lovers and  
folding her arms over her chest.  
"Seta-san... Haruka-san," Naru greeted, smiling. "Thank  
you for coming."  
"You look beautiful, Narusegawa-san," Seta replied. "A  
Western ceremony?"  
"Keitaro's parents are paying, and they didn't have  
enough money for a big Japanese ceremony," Naru said with just  
the tiniest hint of annoyance. Then she smiled again, shrugging  
it off. "It's okay. I'm happy having it here, at the Hinata Inn  
with all my friends."  
"As it should be," Haruka drawled, blowing her cigarette  
smoke in a completely different direction than Naru.  
"I better go get dressed too," Kitsune said after Seta  
had taken his own turn at kissing the bride, though it was just a  
peck on the cheek. Then, in an overly-innocent tone, added,  
"Haruka, Noriyasu, would you like to help me?"  
"I think we could manage that," Seta said in a cheerful  
tone.  
Naru giggled a bit as the trio departed, then turned back  
to her mirror, swishing her dress about. "o/ Naru Urushimaaaa,  
student marriage, succeeding at Tokyo U... o/"


	2. memories part 2

Shinobu rushed back and forth in the kitchen, rapidly  
moving from her almost constant state of near-panic into  
full-blown, hyperventilating, screaming and tearing her hair out,  
actual REAL panic. The reception was in a matter of hours, and  
things weren't working out right at all. The food orders had been  
delivered improperly, and she had fifty portions of beef and  
nineteen of chicken when people wanted nineteen portions of beef  
and fifty portions of chicken, she'd just been informed that  
twelve of the guests had allergies to key ingredients in the  
glaze she had already used on all the portions, and Kaolla was  
still insisting that they could make enough turtle soup out of  
Tamago to feed everyone if they used enough spice.  
'I will not panic, I will not panic!' she chanted  
mentally, despite the fact that her fingers were buried in her  
hair and her eyes showed white all the way around. She couldn't  
let her friends down, not today, no matter how much she wanted to  
curl up in a tiny little ball and whimper until it all went away.  
Kaolla was watching Shinobu with great interest, the  
dark-skinned girl standing on one bare foot, the other raised up  
and held at waist height for no apparent reason. "Shinobuuu... is  
your head going to pop?"  
'Maybe,' Shinobu thought, and fought the urge to break  
out in hysterical laughter and faint. Her gaze came to rest on  
Tamago where the turtle sat on the counter, black beady eyes  
fixed on her. 'You know, maybe Kaolla's right, maybe with enough  
seasoning and vegetables... ack, no!'  
Quickly, she did some of the breathing exercises that  
Motoko had taught her, and felt herself calm a little. Okay, that  
was better. She took one last long, deep breath, then let it out  
in a rush.  
Then she zipped over and grabbed Kaolla by the front of  
her school uniform blouse. "Kaolla-san, you have to help me! You  
have to make some sort of machine that will take the glaze off  
the food or turn beef into chicken and NOT BLOW UP!"  
Kaolla sweatdropped, used to Shinobu spazzing out, but  
not quite this way, and not quite this badly. "O-okay, Shinobu,  
Kaolla will do her best best..."  
The indigo-haired girl gave her friend a shaky smile.  
"Thank you... thank you, Kaolla-san. Now... I think I'm just  
going to take a little nap." And with that, she slumped to the  
floor in a faint, eyes swirling.  
  
"I tell ya, Urushima, you're one lucky bastard," Haitani  
crowed, slapping Keitaro's shoulder. "You'll have that hotty Naru  
in bed every night for the rest of your life!"  
"Eh-heh-heh... yeah," Keitaro agreed sheepishly, rubbing  
the back of his head.  
"Of course... you'll ONLY have that hotty Naru in bed for  
the rest of your life," Shirai amended as he straightened his  
friend's bowtie.  
"... What do you mean?" Keitaro asked, clueless as  
always.  
"Well, geez, just think, man! You had that hotty Mutsumi  
after ya too... and if you'd worked at it, I bet Motoko woulda  
gone for ya... that cute Shinobu had the hots for you, if ya  
waited a few years... and then there's that sex-goddess  
Mitsune..."  
"Oh yeaaaah, Mitsune!" Haitani's eyes glazed over  
momentarily at the thought of the sandy blonde. "Keitaro, you're  
giving a chance at all those girls up to settle down to married  
life! That takes guts, man! I wouldn't be able to stand it!"  
"Keitaro's a stand-up guy, that's for sure, not giving in  
to all that temptation!"  
Keitaro stared straight ahead, and fought the desire to  
whimper.  
  
Shinobu winced as she came to, sitting up and putting a  
hand to her head. She blinked as she looked down and saw that she  
was laying on her futon. 'ACK! I can't be in here!' Throwing the  
blanket aside, she raced out of the room and down into the  
kitchen... and stared.  
Nineteen perfectly-prepared portions of beef. Fifty  
perfectly-prepared portions of chicken. A slightly different hue  
showing that a different glaze had been used. And Tamago was  
resting comfortably atop Kaolla's head, the dark-skinned girl  
covered head to toe in splatters of food, a bright smile alight  
on her face.  
"I got it done!"  
"Kaolla-san..." Shinobu stared, looking around at  
everything, at the giant wedding cake that remained perfect and  
unscathed, staring at the plates of food, and at Kaolla. "H-how?"  
"Wasn't easy," Kaolla admitted sheepishly, rubbing the  
back of her head.  
"Oh... oh Kaolla-san! Kaolla-san, thank you!" Shinobu  
threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around the other  
girl's neck and hugging her.  
She felt those skinny, strong arms go around her to  
return the hug, then went stiff as she felt Kaolla pull back  
enough to... kiss her. Shinobu's face immediately turned tomato  
red, and she felt like her knees would collapse under her. But  
Kaolla's hold on her was firm and unyielding, and Shinobu was  
finding it extremely pleasant not only to be kissed, but to kiss  
back as well.  
After what could have been an hour, Kaolla leaned back,  
grinning like always, though there was a glint in her eyes.  
Shinobu was still blushing, but found herself automatically  
returning the smile.  
"Good as the last time Kaolla kissed you?" Kaolla  
chirped, winking.  
"... My first kiss," Shinobu whispered, looking down a  
bit. "I... I think this one was better, Kaolla-san..."  
"Oh, good!" came the bright answer. "Because we're not  
just little girls anymore... not like we were back then. And I  
think we should do a lot of things we didn't, then."  
"W-what?"  
"C'mon, Shinobuuuuu... help Kaolla get out of these  
clothes and get cleaned up!"  
"W-WHAT?! ... Okay."  
  
Three hours later, Shinobu was sitting at the reception,  
hands resting lightly in her lap, and STILL blushing. She was  
starting to think it was permanent. Every time it even began to  
go away, she'd look over at Kaolla, and the other girl would give  
her a grin and a wink that would start it up at full heat all  
over again... as well as other things. Then, abruptly, the blush  
faded, as she realized that it could only make what she had to  
say even harder.  
'I can't... I just can't,' she thought, hopelessly, the  
planned toasts passing her by. Every bit of her happiness was now  
converted to melancholy at what lay ahead in the few days to  
come. With an effort, she firmed up her resolve and listened in.  
She wouldn't let the happiest day of two of her best friends'  
lives be a sad one in her memory.  
"-and, well, what can I say? I suppose he's glad that he  
didn't let a video game determine who he'd date!" Everyone  
laughed lightly at the conclusion of Kentaro's story, then  
snickered when he added, "I can't help but wish he'd listened  
when it said 'game over', or this might be my wedding." Naru  
rolled her eyes good-naturedly, and Keitaro smiled a little  
shakily. "Honestly, though... Naru, Keitaro... I wish you every  
last happiness in the world." He raised his glass, letting the  
toast be acknowledged, then looked around. "Well, that's all the  
formal toasts... does anyone else have anything to say?"  
"UM!" Shinobu blurted, reacting to the cue she'd coached  
herself for, then blushing and sinking low in her seat when all  
eyes turned to her. Oh, she just wanted to die, she couldn't do  
this...  
"Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro smiled at her, and it just made  
it worse, his honest happiness that one of his friends would have  
something to add to his happy day.  
'I can't say this, I CAN'T, I'll just say it was an  
accident, or wish them well, I can't say it, I-'  
She suddenly felt a warm, wrinkled hand gently rest atop  
hers, and turned, surprised, to find Grandmother Hina at her  
side.  
"It's alright, dear." The kindly old woman smiled at her,  
and nodded her wizened head once. "Just say what you feel."  
Those few words filled her with strength, and as if by  
magic, the blush faded, and Shinobu sat up straight, nodding her  
head once. She pushed back her chair and stood, taking a moment  
to straighten her blue and white kimono, then held a hand  
daintily in front of her mouth as she cleared her throat.  
"... Everyone. I... I have something to say." She took a  
deep breath, keeping her gaze slightly down, not allowing herself  
to be intimidated by all the eyes on her. "When I came to Hinata  
Inn several years ago, I was very scared, and I was hurting. My  
parents were split up, and my mother was moving, taking me away  
from everything I knew. But... Keitaro-senpai, he helped me. He  
gave me a home here, and... because he did that..."  
She gulped, fighting the urge to cry, trying to swallow  
the emotion that welled up. "Because he did that, he also gave me  
a family. Naru... Kitsune... Motoko... Sara... Kaolla." She  
looked up, finding a smile for her friend... lover... then around  
at the others. "You've all treated me like I was your sister...  
your friend. You've given me the happiest, best years of my life.  
"That's what makes this day so special. Two of the best  
people I know, Keitaro-senpai and Naru-senpai, they're married  
now. And I just know that they're going to have a happy life.  
It's like... it's like all the joy inside me at having such  
wonderful friends, it's magnified a thousand times because of  
this! It's the happiest day not only for them... but I think for  
all of us here. The family that has formed at the Hinata Inn."  
She had to stop and take a deep breath again, heard the  
rapt silence of the entire attendance. "And that's why it's so  
hard for me to tell you this. I'm... leaving the Hinata Inn."  
Shinobu heard gasps from all her friends, and hung her  
head further down, letting her bangs shadow her eyes. "My mother  
and father... they've reconciled, and my family... it's going to  
be a REAL family again!" She forced herself to look up. She  
wouldn't hide the tears in her eyes... it wasn't fair to the  
people she loved. "I love you all dearly, and you have been my  
family... but now, my... my blood relations, they need me. My  
help, and my love. And I have to go be with them. We're going to  
be living in Tokyo, and I just... I can't be here, and be there  
as well."  
There was silence, broken only by several murmurs of  
"Shinobu-chan." She looked around, and saw the sadness on their  
faces, and slowly, she smiled.  
"Please don't be sad... not on this special day. I told  
you all today because... even though I'm sad that I'm leaving,  
I'm also very happy. I wanted to share both my sadness and my  
happiness with you all... because that's what we've always done.  
Shared all we had. And though it's made us sad at times... it's  
brought us closer together. I'll still come and see you! I  
promise! Please... don't be sad that I'm leaving, but instead,  
share in all the happiness that I have."  
"Kaolla will go to Tokyo, too, then!"  
All eyes turned to the dark-skinned blonde as she stood  
up and made that proclamation, causing even more murmurs.  
"K... Ka-chan," Shinobu murmured, blinking repeatedly.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Kaolla loves Shinobu," the other girl said simply,  
smoothly, as if stating that the stars would come out at night or  
that Keitaro would put his foot in his mouth. "Shinobu is  
Kaolla's best friend. Kaolla can't let Shinobu go off to Tokyo  
alone! First time Shinobu sees a dark street corner she'll go  
'WAAAAAA!'" Kaolla flapped her arms wildly and unfocused her  
eyes, the accuracy of the Shinobu impression causing no small  
number of giggles and snickering.  
Kaolla went from her flailing right back into grinning  
earnestness. "So Kaolla will go to Tokyo with Shinobu, and be  
with her there, so that Shinobu will always have part of Hinata  
Inn, and her family here, with her."  
"Ka-chan," the indigo-haired girl whispered, feeling her  
eyes fill with tears again.  
Kitsune stood, holding up her glass. "Well then...  
Shinobu-chan! What can we say but... we love you too! And you'll  
make us all... your family... proud someday!"  
"I second that," Motoko added smoothly, rising from her  
own seat. "Shinobu, I have always seen a wonderful kindness and  
tenderness in you that few have, and I have cherished having you  
as a friend because of it. The strength of your heart dwarfs the  
strength of my sword."  
"Yeah, well!" Sara shouted as she climbed up on her chair  
and waved her glass around wildly, her blonde ponytails shaking.  
"You just better come and see me a lot, or I'll kick yer butt!"  
"Never take up smoking," Haruka offered, deadpan, as she  
took a long drag on your cigarette. "Dirty habit, and it doesn't  
suit a wonderful young woman like you."  
"Shinobu, from what I've seen, you have a thoughtful  
nature to go with your kind heart," Seta said as he offered his  
own toast. "Any art school, any class you ever wish to attend, I  
will give references that assure your entry."  
"Such a bunch of things happening," Mutsumi murmured as  
she stood. "Shinobu-chan, always make sure to keep in good...  
health..." And with that, she swooned smoothly back into her  
chair in a faint.  
Naru coughed, and prodded Mutsumi in the arm until she  
came around enough to listen to what everyone else had to say.  
She looked to Keitaro, and both nodded, bride and groom rising as  
one and putting their hands together.  
"Shinobu-chan," Naru began with a smile. "Though it makes  
us sad that you're leaving, you've also made us so happy today."  
"Hai," Keitaro continued, smiling brightly, his eyes  
shimmering behind his glasses. "You told us from your heart just  
how much we've all meant to you."  
"You really have made this the happiest day of our  
lives," Naru picked up. "We never knew just what a difference  
we've made in your life."  
"But now we do. What a wonderful gift you've given us,  
Shinobu-chan."  
"Hai... the gift of words from your heart."  
"We love you, too, Shinobu-chan."  
"We love you so much... imouto."  
"Hai. Imouto."  
"Imouto," chorused Kitsune, winking.  
"Imouto," Motoko agreed solemnly.  
"Imouto," Mutsumi whispered, smiling pleasantly.  
"Oneechaaaaaan!" Sara sang, smirking.  
Shinobu looked from one face to another, seeing their  
smiles, the love shining in their eyes. She felt fingers entwine  
with hers, and looked to her side to see Kaolla, leaning in to  
kiss her cheek. And Shinobu broke down crying. She would remember  
it forever as both the happiest and saddest day of her life. The  
day that she found out just how much everyone at Hinata Inn loved  
her. And the day she had to leave them all.  
  
"It was much harder than I thought to come and visit,"  
Shinobu told her daughter, voice thick with emotion, her eyes  
shining with tears. "I managed it sometimes, but never again were  
we all together like we were that day. Keitaro and Naru... the  
lady you're named after... moved to another part of Tokyo than I  
lived in, to be closer to Todai. Kitsune was kanrinin for awhile,  
and then left with Seta and Haruka to go on a dig in Mexico, and  
of course Sara went with them. Motoko went back to her family's  
school, and became a great teacher. Mutsumi went back to her  
island to start a turtle farm."  
"Momma?" Naru stared at her mother, not sure if the tears  
in her eyes were cause to break out sobbing or not. "Are you  
sad?"  
"Just a little bit," Shinobu answered with a smile,  
quickly wiping her eyes, then kissing her daughter's forehead. "I  
still see all of them sometimes, but never again have we all  
managed to be together in one place. And in the last few years,  
we haven't managed to get together at all. I do so want them to  
see you now, Naru..."  
"Shinobuuuuuu!"  
Kaolla hurried up, laughing and smiling, plucking the  
equally delighted Naru from the other woman's arms as the little  
girl squealed "Poppa! Poppa!"  
"Don't let her call you that, you'll confuse her!"  
Shinobu protested, giving her spouse a Look.  
"If she's not confused by having two mothers, calling me  
'poppa' isn't gonna hurt her," Kaolla shot back as always,  
smirking and sticking her tongue out at Shinobu as she rubbed  
cheeks with her daughter, dark skin on dark skin. She had to stop  
as Naru began grabbing and kicking, and concentrated on helping  
her daughter up onto her shoulders.  
"If she's not confused when we explain just what exactly  
her actual relationship to her 'uncle' is, she's a smarter little  
girl than either of us ever were," Shinobu muttered, throwing her  
hands up.  
"Speak for yourself," Kaolla replied cheerfully as Naru  
laughed and looked around from her higher vantage point. "I was  
always a genius!"  
"Evil genius," Shinobu added affectionately, kissing the  
other woman on the cheek. "Did you get the paperwork all worked  
out?"  
"Yup! Just awaiting your signature!" Kaolla continued  
balancing her daughter on her shoulders with one hand, digging in  
her jacket with the other. After a moment, she proffered the  
carefully-folded sheet of paper to her spouse. "Sign at the X,  
and you and I are 100% owners of the Hinata Inn."  
Smiling softly, Shinobu unfolded the sheet of paper and  
glanced over it, digging around in her pockets for a pen. Coming  
up with one, she motioned for Kaolla to turn around so that she  
could use her spouse's back as a flat surface.  
As she was putting the last stroke on 'Maehara', she felt  
Kaolla suddenly go stiff in front of her. She opened her mouth to  
ask what was wrong, only to be interrupted by a question from  
Naru.  
"Momma, poppa, who's that coming up the steps?"  
Blinking, Shinobu straightened enough, again on the edge  
of speech, about to ask what her daughter meant. Before she  
could, Kaolla took a step to one side, and Shinobu let her pen  
fall from limp fingers to clatter on the stones of the porch.  
And then she was being hugged, and kissed, having her  
hair ruffled, her hands taken, and Kitsune was laughing, and  
Motoko was thumping her on the back, and Mutsumi was just  
standing there smiling at it all as if she couldn't imagine  
anything more perfect, and Sara was picking her up off her feet  
to hug her, and Haruka actually put out her cigarette to come in  
for a hug, and Seta was telling her how beautiful she had become,  
and Keitaro and Naru were both hugging her at once, and children  
were clustered about her asking was it her, was it aunt Shinobu,  
aunt Shinobu can I have a hug, aunt Shinobu we haven't seen you  
in so long!  
And Shinobu was crying, just crying. She'd thought that  
nothing could eclipse the day when she'd found out just how much  
they all loved her, or the day when she took Kaolla's hand and  
said now and forever, or the day when she'd first held her  
daughter in her arms. But this did. This was beyond happiness. It  
was beyond anything she'd ever felt in her whole life. Her  
family... her whole family... had come home.  
  
Fin


End file.
